Real Emotions
by kaizenyorii
Summary: its about roy and riza. give it a whirl. Standard RoyAi. Based on manga. my first attempt at fanfics. all reviewsflamestaunting are welcome and encouraged....pleeze? RE is on a 3 month hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Hopes and Fears

She would be having Xingese takeout today. She didn't enjoy eating out that much, but she was more tired than usual as she walked back to her new apartment which was only about 15 minutes from Central HQ. Being the babysitter of Colonel Roy Mustang was a chore that required much energy. Or, at least, it use to be. The death of Maes Hughes seemed to have left Mustang sullen and quiet. Gone were the days of bragging about his womanizing to a envious Havoc (she usually found herself inexplicably irritated when she overheard them), the ranting about useless topics to stall the process of paperwork, all of it seemed to have vanished overnight. Nowadays, the Colonel was in his office on time, did his paperwork on time, then delved into his own notes, pausing only to sign new stacks of paper as they arrived on his desk. Then at 1900 hours, he was gone; mumbling goodbyes to herself, Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fuery. While the thought of the Colonel finishing all his work on time would usually be a relief to Riza Hawkeye, it was not. While Hughes death had touched everyone in a negative way, she did not enjoy the thought of her Colonel suddenly changing before her eyes. _The Colonel_, she corrected herself quickly. Clutching a small box of Xingese noodles in one hand and her bag in the other, she stumbled toward her door and entered her home.

No sooner had she put down her luggage on the table than a ball of black and white fur collided with her leg. Black Hayate had grown a bit since the day she adopted him from Fuery, but his canine energy had not waned one bit. She smiled, perhaps for the first time all day, and knelt down to pet her surrogate son. Before, she would have cringed at the idea that she would be one of those pet lovers who would coo over their animals and call themselves "mommy" or "daddy" and spend a ridiculous amount of money on them. And while she had certainly not spent much money at all, she couldn't resist the natural charms of the puppy.

"Mommys so glad to see you again." She said to him in a soft voice, then chuckled to herself as she realized what she had just said. Hayate, in turn, barked happily and licked Riza's outstretched hand. She played with her dog for a little while more, then went to her kitchen to feed him. If anyone saw her being so affectionate to Black Hayate, she swore she would put two bullets in each leg and one in their head, before turning the gun on herself for being so careless.

_Affection…_ she thought to herself as she sat down with her own food while watching Hayate dig into his. _Why am I so afraid of showing affection? After all, I am a woman, and its perfectly fine for a woman to be like that….right?_ She twirled her fork around the thin noodles, but didn't lift it to her mouth. _Well, I may be a woman, but I am also 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, a dog of a dog of the military. I cannot show weakness…_ at this, she put down her barely-eaten food and stared out the window. A light rain was falling, light enough for people on the street to still hustle around with no umbrella, but heavy enough to remind people that they were getting wet. _Wet enough to put Roy in danger…._ She once again snapped herself out of her doldrums. She could not believe that she was thinking about the Colonel so much. Yes, Colonel Roy Mustang was a great and noble person underneath the arrogant and sneering surface, and that surface also happened to be quite sexy. Listening to gossip around the woman's lavatory in both Eastern and Central HQ had confirmed her belief that she was only one of many who wouldn't mind having a piece of that surface. That only infuriated her more. _Snap out of it you, _The voice of reason in her head commanded;_ He is your commanding officer, and you don't have time to fall for a person like him! You don't have time to fall for anyone right now, as a matter of fact... _

"Why not? I am a human being, I should be able to fall in love!" Riza said out loud, her face screwing up in a mask of irritation that Hayate took notice of.

_You're such a retard! _The voice retorted; _Have you forgotten your mission? The reason you can't love is because there is someone…you need to…protect….. _At this, both Riza and the voice of reason fell silent for a moment.

She had been such a hypocrite, she realized. Here she was admonishing Roy in her mind for keeping his thoughts to himself, but in reality, she was doing the same thing; hiding all her fears and concerns about life behind her stone-faced office façade. She was a human being too; she had needs that had to be filled that went beyond physical. IN the dark of the night, she thought about many things…_ Will I be in the military forever? What will I do if I ever quit? The military's been my life since age 17…how will I cope?...will I ever get married? _She knew that her dreams may be tame compared to other people's, but after all the life she had been living was so different from what most people would ever experience. To just settle down with a man and be a housewife seemed to be a gift; a gift that she could presently see no way of attaining. Soft tears slid their way down her cheeks as she contemplated the great unknown that was called the future. She furiously wiped them off her face and stood up. Changing into her nightgown, she decided to just sleep early and be fresh for tomorrow. Kissing Black Hayate goodnight, she slid onto her bed and soon fell asleep.

That night, she dreamed that she was getting married on a hilltop on a sunny summer day. The blur of faces that was the crowd cheered and the minister pronounced the happy couple husband and wife. And while the face of her dream man never seemed to materialize before her eyes, she embraced him and whispered "Colonel…." For just one night, she was what she was; a lonely girl living by herself in the big city. Tomorrow, she would put on her blue uniform and her invisible mask, and it would be business as usual.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Don't Look Back In Anger

A thin sliver of light was the only comfort from the darkness that swallowed everything else in the room. The pitch black hung heavily on everything inside the small room, and one could only identify one object in the dank room: a simple wooden chair. The light mingled with the shape of the simple chair, casting a thin shadow across the room that gave the illusion that the windows were barred. Then Colonel Roy Mustang slowly walked into the room from the equally-dark living room and closed the shade completely, and the light was no more. In the pitch black that he had and the walls of his house had conspired to make, Roy could not see a thing. Taking his right ignition glove out of his pocket, he snapped his fingers without much effort; almost immediately, a little ball of flame appeared in the middle of the room. It was about slightly smaller than a tennis ball, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Suspended almost dead center in the room, the flame illuminated the room in a way no natural light could; the bed, the chair, the select pictures, the disorganized drawer, the rarely-used lamp, all of these things were now visible. But the flickering flame also brought on other things. Twisting and moving on the ground and the floor, the shadows of Roy's things manifested themselves in a way that seemed strangely reminiscent of something…_of burning buildings_… Roy sat himself down on the old chair and stared intently at the flame. It danced with itself in the air, as though it was being held up by an invisible candle. Any ordinary person would have been unsettled or afraid of such a phenomenon, but not Roy Mustang. The first time he had done the same trick after returning from Ishbal, he almost had a mental breakdown; but by now he had decided that living in the shadow of Ishbal did nobody any good.

His eyes darted across all the things he could call his, and his bed was the first thing that caught his eye. Brand new from the best store if it's kind in Central, it certainly didn't show any of it's expensive attributes; the sheets and blanket were blue, and the 2 pillows were white. If anything, it looked cheap. But the most important detail about it was that it was designed for a single person. Truth be told, the stories about Mustang's womanizing exploits were actually quite exaggerated. It was definitely true that whichever part of the country he happened to be stationed in, there was no shortage of attractive women wanting a word with him whenever he had the time. What was not true were the rumors of him prowling the streets at night with beautiful women in his arms and "closing the deal" with them all night long. Mustang hadn't had a steady girlfriend since his teenage days, but that didn't make him the playboy that everyone thought he was. Sometimes he wondered where those ridiculous rumors came from…_Probably Havoc's work, _he smiled to himself. _If Jean wanted to keep his girlfriends, he should stop bringing them to the office, because once they laid eyes on me… _a sly sneer found its way to his face momentarily, then disappeared as soon as it had arrived. He was glad that even during these torrid times, he could still spare a moment here and there to be arrogant.

His eyes moved onward toward his drawers. It had 4 slots; the first 2 were closed, but the bottoms 2 were open and various pieces of clothing made their presence known in the flickering light. He felt a tiny urge to tidy up, but his body made no movement to follow through on those urges. _I don't have much clothing anyway, so it's ok for now…_He thought to himself. The only clothing of his worth keeping tidy were his military uniforms; those were hung in the closet in the living room. While the uniforms were not exactly comfy, he found himself inside one more often than not these days. He once again spared himself a quick smile; If_ only I can get Riza…I mean, all women in the military to wear miniskirts. Then the stuffiness would all be worth the while. _

His eyes moved on once again, to the 2 objects that lay onto of his drawer, next to his lamp. The first object was his notebook. God knows how long he had been holding on to that little black book. _Ishbal…_ He reminded himself…_ You've had it since then, and it shows. _True to Roy's thoughts, the book was old and faded, its back cover torn off from reasons Roy couldn't recall off the top of his head. That book was a microcosm of himself; inside he had the names of all the people he knew, with many addresses and numbers to accompany them…_I wonder where my ladies section is now…_ Roy thought to himself. Back when he was in Eastern HQ, he would slip every letter he got from women into the back of his notebook, for no reason other than to upset Havoc. Eventually, the pile grew so big that the notebook was not suffice; the last time he counted, the head count was 203. _They're probably still in one of my unpacked boxes… maybe I should dig them out…_But once again, his impulses were not matched by body movement. Not long ago, reading those letters would be able to cheer him up. After all, being so desirable was a chore that he never complained about. But lately, he just didn't want to anymore. He couldn't explain the sudden sea change; it was just something that happened. Further back in the notebook, he had his notes…notes on things like important military appointment dates… the current whereabouts of the Elrich brothers… his notes on Hughes final words and what Armstrong had relayed to him afterwards… He picked up the book and held it to the light and flipped through it. He stopped on a page where he had scrawled on big date on one whole page: _May 3rd, 1889._ Roy scratched his head; he could not recall what this date was or when he had recorded it. He pondered the numbers for a few seconds, and then placed the book back on his drawer. _This is one particular mystery I'll let slide for now…_

His eyes then met the final notable collection of objects in his room: his photographs. He only had 2, and he studied the first one as though this was his first time viewing it. It was a group photo of him and the men…_and woman…_ under his command, taken at the front steps of Eastern HQ. He scanned the photo from left to right…_ There's Falman, stiff and serious as always…poor Fuery, he looks like a lost child who just wandered into the photo…how come Breda's staring off camera?...Havoc, you're such a poser… there's me…and there's Riza, clutching Black Hayate…_ _It's been well over 7 years now…Riza Hawkeye. My most dependable aide. My ace in the pocket. My go-to-person. Always within an arm's reach. Always there to get the job done…._ He stopped to scratch his head; _how can she have such a sweet face but yet be such a horrible slave driver at the same time…_ In truth, Mustang found Hawkeye more attractive than 95 percent of the women who threw themselves at him. That meant 5 percent were prettier than she; and 5 percent was a sizeable number if someone were to do the math. _But there's just something about Hawkeye…something that won't let my eyes wander far away from her… _

Then he turned to the other photo. It was of two men in military uniform; one was carrying his military cap in his arm and looked serious; the other was grinning widely and lifting his cap with one hand above his head, as if saluting the photographer for a job well done. He leaned forward toward the photo, which had been taken after their promotions had been given…_Hmm…Hughes still has his old heavy-rimmed glasses…wonder how I can remember that…_ Then he remembered that day in Ishbal. The day when he, in his depression, had insulted Hughes and his pursuit of a woman called Gracia. Hughes had grabbed him by the collar and glared at him eye to eye, where Mustang could make out every detail of the face that had rarely shown signs of anger until Mustang had let his careless mouth loose. _I remember his words like as though it was yesterday…To own a house with the woman you love and live normally is a happiness that can exist anywhere…but it's the greatest happiness!..._ Mustang pondered these words…_what is normal? _He then thought about what he was doing right now, sitting in the dark while the little fire that he had given life to flickered above his head. The fire would go out soon, because the oxygen level of that particular spot was dropping; he had all the windows closed shut. The darkness slowly but surely returned to claim the ground it had lost when Roy had sparked the flame. _Like this void in my existence… slowly growing to the point where I can't simply ignore it…_He then thought of the 203 letters that he use to pride himself on…and suddenly felt like incinerating them all. He got up off his chair and picked up the photo of himself and Hughes, wiping a little dust off the sides. _You're wrong Hughes…_his thoughts blackened to match the darkness that crept closer from every side…_You're wrong. The happiness you speak of can't be found just everywhere, it can only be found in one place…and I haven't found it yet. You were so lucky to have found Gracia so early…_

The little flame drew its final breath and then disappeared; the room was now even darker than the way Colonel Roy Mustang had found it. He navigated his way back to his chair, overcome with a sudden feeling of unsatisfied vengeance. _The murder of Maes Hughes would not go without retribution..._Having virtually memorized his notes from his notebook, he spent the rest of the night running them through his head and revising every theory he had made about what had really happened that night. Occasionally, his tired body begged him to sleep, but Roy Mustang knew in his mind that there were more important things for him to spend his time on than just sleeping.

_-_

_- _

_Authors note – dec 2 fixed slight grammar errors; "percent" signs_

_ - dec13 found a big factual error i couldnt ignore. thank yew to everyone whos reviewed!  
_


	3. Chapter 3 and 4

Chapter 3: Step by Step

Though Central HQ technically opened its doors at 0700 hours, Roy Mustang could usually be found inside as early as 0500 hours. _Hughes was trying to tell me something, and nothing will stop me from finding out the truth_, he swore to himself. And while he was not familiar with this "Philosophers Stone" that Hughes seemed to have been researching on behalf of the Elrichs, he intended to be knowledgeable on the subject soon enough. If only he could drag the Fullmetal midget into his office right now so they could discuss Edward's progress on the stone and whether it had anything to do with Hughes's murder… _Shit…Ed and Alphonse have no idea what happened to Maes…_ Roy bit down on his tongue as the unpleasant thought crossed his mind. He hoped that they wouldn't take the bad news badly. He also hoped that he wouldn't have to be the one to break the news to Fullmetal and his armor-clad brother. The only feeling that could be worse than watching Ed and Al react to the news was probably what he felt when he realized he hadn't been near the phone in his best friend's time of need.

Whatever his problem was, Roy Mustang wasn't one who wanted others to be concerned about him. So when his silver watch read 0645, he would get up, take whatever he had brought with him on that day and exit the HQ building via the back cafeteria door. Then he would cut through a small public park and eventually end up outside the main gate again. Once there, he was sure to run into either Fuery or Falman or Breda. After exchanging morning greetings and making small talk, he would then return to his office and resume where he had left off. He would then only have to wait about a minute or two before Riza Hawkeye also found her way to her desk, with Havoc straggling in at 0659 or later. Havoc was, like the Roy of some time ago, usually late, but since he didn't have a jailer of the same caliber as Riza Hawkeye, he was usually able to get away with it.

Meanwhile, Riza had been up for quite some time. A sucker for routine, she woke up everyday at 0530, showered, ate a poor excuse for breakfast, and got ready to go to work. Back when she was stationed at Eastern HQ, she could get out as early as 0600 and spend a carefree hour at the shooting range in the basement. However, it seemed that the fancy all-business Central HQ did not have a firing range. The nearest one was still too far for her to casually walk to in the morning, so she was now deprived of her favorite hobby and stress reliever. Even going to the office earlier seemed to be a moot point. Not only would she have to deal with the bustle on the streets as the many vendors and shops burst into life along with the morning sun, but she needed the time in the morning to walk Black Hayate. She really couldn't find any other time to do this, as the streets at night really wasn't a great time for a single woman to be walking a little puppy alone. While anyone who knew Riza Hawkeye would have no doubt that she could handle any problem that may appear from going out at night alone, she still refrained from doing so. Riza Hawkeye wasn't one who wanted others to be concerned with her. So at 0630, she would bring Hayate back to her apartment, change into her uniform, kiss her little man goodbye as he whimpered and pawed at her to stay longer, then leave to get to HQ.

* * *

_Tick….tock….tick….tock….God this paperwork is so numb and boring. I can't wait to leave all this stuff behind and just get away from it for just a second…now I know how the Colonel must feel…since when did I lose my passion for paperwork?_ Riza's eyes darted back and forth, from the pile of papers on her desk to the large clock that was positioned near the door…_1700 hours…not that long to go, so suck it up…_ her eyes then darted over to the Colonel, who was once again buried in his own notes. His paperwork for the day was stacked neatly at the corner of his desk, all reviewed and signed and ready to be delivered to their next destination. At the moment, he was taking notes into his favorite black notebook…_that wretched notebook…_ Riza smiled to herself_…. Words cannot express how happy I am that he finally got rid of those silly notes he use to stick in the back of them. With luck, he might have accidentally burned them or something…_

"Something the matter, Hawkeye?"

She suddenly snapped out of her wistful dreaming and found the Colonel peering at out of the corner of his eye, no doubt wondering what the object of Riza's staring was.

"No sir…..nothing." She quickly said, then tried her best to give the Colonel one of her trademark fierce looks. The Colonel simply nodded and returned to his notes.

Soon enough, the clock inched forward to read 1845. Then the door of Mustang's office opened slightly and a little white stick inched its way into view. A second later, a face followed suit.

"Colonel, we're going to get a drink at the bar later. Wanna come with us? You haven't been out in a while."

"No thank you, Havoc. I'm not really up for drinking today. Maybe next time."

"But Colonelllllllll, you haven't been out with us for ages!" Havoc whined in a very, very irritating voice. "Since when does the Flame Alchemist turn down chances to drink and show off?"

"Since when does an officer of a lower rank have the right to use such a whiny voice when talking to a superior?" Riza couldn't help but snicker slightly at the Colonel's comment. Sensing defeat, Havoc turned toward her.

"Fine! Laugh at me for trying to be nice! I was going to invite you too, but not anymore!" And with that he closed the door. Riza sighed at Havoc's good intentions. _I never go drinking anyway…thanks for pretending you were going to try asking again…_

She looked back at the Colonel, who had put his notebook aside and was now staring out the window. The sun was setting, and the sky was illuminated in an orange and purple-ish glow that was nothing short of amazing. The Colonel looked out toward the horizon, as though he could see something in the distance that nobody else could; his face, while blank and seemingly emotionless, spoke volumes about how clouded his mind really was. Riza, walking toward his desk to pick up the last papers, suddenly felt the urge to say something. She didn't want to see Roy Mustang like this. She wanted the old carefree Mustang back, the one that would have made a clever quip at the sunset and then go with his co-workers out for a drink or two. She missed him.

"Permission to speak, sir." She said, giving a salute to accompany her request.

The Colonel regarded her for a moment, then turned his body away from the window to face his Lieutenant. He nodded his head, and Riza took that as a sign that permission had been granted.

"You haven't been out with Havoc and them for quite some time….I just want to inquire into whether something is the matter…' _As if I didn't already know…_ She thought to herself. Her stance stiffened as she watched the Colonel stand up and approach her, his face still emotionless.

"I am glad I have a subordinate like you by my side." He said with a small smile.

They stood there for about 5 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Then Riza, trying her best to fight off the blush that had taken over her entire face, scooped up the papers from the Colonel's desk and hurried off to deliver them.

* * *

She had just dropped off the last report at the Human Resources department of the HQ when she saw a familiar figure at the front door. She was a pretty lady of about the same age as Riza; she had short hair and wore a simple one piece dress with a small coat. 

"Gracia!" Riza called out and scurried over toward her direction.

"1st Lieutenant! I didn't expect to see you here so late. Did you not get off work yet?"

"I spent an extra few minutes handing back reports and things like that. What brings you to HQ?"

Gracia's glance suddenly left Riza's face and edged toward the floor. "I just came to pick up some last few things…sign some release forms and pension sheets…" She looked back up and immediately seemed to read Riza's mind. "Please, don't worry about me. Everything has been fine so far…."

They spent the next few minutes making chit-chat as they headed outside toward the exit of the HQ. Inevitably, the discussion turned back to the topic of Maes.

"Has Colonel Mustang been holding up all right?"

The question caught Hawkeye by surprise. While she did not want to speak for the Colonel, she decided that if she couldn't speak for the Colonel, then nobody else could either. _After all, I've spent so much time following him…_

"He has certainly changed. I…" This time, it was Riza's turn to stare toward the ground. "…I'm slightly worried about him. He's trying to hunt down who killed Maes. He has stopped all of his normal activities to find out more about it. The cafeteria cleaning lady tells me that he comes in to the HQ secretly by himself very early in the morning….to access files that normal officers wouldn't have access to…" Her eyebrow twitched slightly. The thought of the Colonel doing something so secretive without asking for her assistance or informing her did not sit well with Riza. She couldn't remember any other instance that the Colonel had kept information from her on purpose.

"Usually the Colonel would consult with me on such matters. But he's been very silent on issue….and I don't appreciate it…"

"Riza, you think too much."

Riza turned to see Gracia smiling at her. She tried to smile back, but it came out more like a sigh. She desperately wanted Gracia to explain her comment, because she didn't quite get it. Gracia did not disappoint her.

"The solution is actually quite simple…Maes always told me that…men don't ask for advice because they don't need advice. They hope that we understand without them having to say so. If they're going to suffer, then they want to do it alone, because they don't want people to be worried for them…"

Gracia then suddenly gave Riza a very serious look, one that caught Stone-cold Riza Hawkeye completely off guard.

"If you feel that you deserve to be a part of whatever the Colonel is planning, then you need to speak up. Men can be very arrogant creatures sometimes… a good partner does not stand behind a person, they stand _beside _a person…and whether you realize or not, I believe that you and Colonel Mustang have gone through enough together for you to be able to consider yourself his partner. Wouldn't you agree?"

Riza thought about all of what she had just heard. _Partner?..._ She liked the sound of that. At the same time though, would Roy stand for it if she did request to be part of his plans? Was she entitled to this, as Gracia had suggested? _This…this is definitely something I need to think about… I've had Roy's back for so long…can I finally step forward and stand beside him?_ The thought both excited and frightened her.

"Thank you Gracia."

* * *

Roy had been slightly confused by Riza suddenly walking out on him wordlessly after his compliment. _Did I say something wrong? Improper?_ He had then hung around and waited for Riza in hope that he could apologize and maybe even walk her home. But Riza Hawkeye did not return to the office. Roy sat and wallowed in his own thoughts until he looked at the clock. _2100 hours! I really have to go. I can't believe that I sat around for two whole hours. _ Roy didn't know what to feel then as he trudged back home. He had felt something…something vague when Riza had asked about him in the office. _I felt it….there is no denying that… but nothing happened…. Doesn't something usually happen if there is a connection….I don't remember having to actually wait for something to spark….usually it just does…_ Showering quickly, Roy Mustang then wordlessly went to bed without eating. He spent the rest of the night reliving the events of the day and second-guessing his own judgment. 

After bidding farewell to Gracia and heading home, Riza passed by the bright lights of downtown Central City. She stopped momentarily to admire some of the latest fashions in the store windows… _wow…that really looks stunning…wonder how I would look like wearing something like that…_ She shook herself back to her senses and continued to walk…_no way I can afford such things on a military salary… besides, people who wear such expensive things obviously want to be seen and admired…and I…_ Thoughts swirled in her head, from Gracia's comments to Mustang's compliment and beyond. _I don't want to stay in the background anymore…I only wish he would see me…_ Riza sighed to herself and continued to walk back to her home, unaware that her image was currently burned into the mind of a sleepless Colonel only a few blocks away 

**Chapter 4: Changes **

The world was an ever changing place. Barely 10 years into the new century, technology had advanced at a frightening pace, and once-quiet towns all over the world had quickly evolved into bustling cities. Central City, being the capital of Amestris, was no different. The capital of the country was a unique mix of old and new, where sparkling new government buildings, brand new telephone booths and newly installed streetlights mingled with the classic architecture that had survived against the odds for hundreds of years. Not that Riza Hawkeye had time to admire the architecture anyway. Today was probably one of the busiest days that she had experienced since transferring to Central: it was her day off. Maybe other people would have spent their break day doing what the name of the occasion implied, but there were too many things that needed to be done for Riza to just sit back and, how would you say, "_relax". _Most of the things she had taken with her from Eastern HQ were already set up, but there were still groceries to be bought and little errands here and there that couldn't be ignored for much longer. After allowing herself to sleep in a little, she did allow herself some pleasure in reading a book she had bought from a bookstore in Central. That was one thing she enjoyed about moving to the capital; _finding a well-stocked bookstore use to be a tall order back in Eastern._

The rest of the day she re-arraigned furniture, tidied the mess that she called a closet, made a little bed for Black Hayate out of an old basket, and did groceries. This was the first time she had had the pleasure of stepping into a huge modern grocery store; the large amount of choices seemed almost frustrating. _Goodness, some of these labels are more complicated than military reports and records… _she mused…._how am I suppose to know which ones to buy?_ By the time she had everything figured out and paid for, the sun had already set on Central. Clutching her bags, she walked down the increasingly-familiar streets toward her own house, wondering to herself whether or not the office had fared well in her absence. _There shouldn't be much paperwork today, Havoc said they're going to spend the day installing phones and radios into our spaces…then again, its not as if the Colonel needs me to tell him to finish his papers anymore. _Her mind once again crossed over the subject that had become increasingly touchy since that evening she had spent talking with Gracia. The cafeteria cleaning lady had also informed Riza on the day before her day off that Roy had not been going in early to HQ for the last few days…_ he may have found out something important…maybe he's even finished whatever he's doing …I don't know what I can do… if the Colonel wanted my help I'm sure he would've asked…am I really entitled to know what he's up to? Gracia said we were like partners, but he's my superior first and foremost…I don't think there's any way I can force him to confide in me…I just wish…_ her lips tightened a little…_I just wish I didn't have to force him…_ she then took notice of someone who seemed to be watching her from an alleyway to her left.

"Missy, it's dangerous to walk out alone at a time like this…want me to escort you?"

_Probably a street bum looking for spare change…_ Riza thought to herself.

* * *

It had been the most mundane day of work ever. Even though the 1st Lieutenant had filed for her day of leave well over a week ago, Roy Mustang still felt a slight sense of surprise when Hawkeye failed to show up for work…_or was it disappointment? _Shaking the silly thought from his head, Mustang used up the rest of the day reading over official protocol papers for Central HQ, meeting personnel from the rest of the base, and sitting aimlessly at his desk, playing with his pens while workers stretched wires all over his office. The other occupants of the office had spent most of the day gambling on cards; by the end of the day Roy was sure he had heard Havoc curse Breda's name enough times to assume that Breda was now a millionaire. He then cast a glance at Riza's empty desk…and the glance evolved into a stare. Coincidentally, his research on the Philosophers Stone had almost come to an end; he now knew enough about it to write his own book about it. But there were still pieces that needed to be put in place… _and I won't get any closer until Fullmetal answers some of my questions…_ at a standstill until Edward could return to Central, Mustang now had time to think about other things… but first, he would have to answer the ringing phone. The one he had now was temporary; the protected line was being installed right before his eyes. Picking up the receiver, he listened to the voice on the other side for about 2 minutes and then hung up. Grabbing his coat and his notebook, he hurried out of his office and ignored the puzzled stares of his subordinates. 

About 15 minutes later, the phone rang at Mustangs Office. Seeing that neither Riza nor Roy was around to answer it, Fuery decided to pick up the receiver. He listened to the operator and then wordlessly handed the phone to Falman, who looked at the phone for a few seconds as though he needed time to analyze what it was. Then he realized…_oooo, it's for me…._

* * *

By the time Falman had hauled Barry away to wherever Mustang had arraigned them to hide, it was very late into the night indeed. Riza still awkwardly at the door of the warehouse they had used to question Barry, still slightly bothered by the fact that Lab 5 had held such horrible secrets. 

"Knowing the truth behind what you thought was too horrible to be true is disturbing, isn't it?"

Riza spun around to face her superior. By this time Roy had made his way out of the warehouse and was leaning against a wall, expressionless. She hadn't forgotten the look in his eyes…_when he asked Barry whether or not he was responsible for what happened to Maes… he's emotionless again now, but his eyes….at that moment they were so intense that they could burn a hole through my skin and set my soul on fire…_

She looked up to find the Colonels head suddenly only a few inches away from her own. She had not heard him move away from the wall, and now she was getting a good look at those eyes again…

"It's getting late. Would you like me to walk you home?" The Colonel offered, casting a glance at the bag of groceries that Riza had been absent-mindedly holding for awhile now. Blushing slightly for what seemed to be the thousandth time in the past few days, she said;

"I would like that very much, Sir."

* * *

_I have nothing to lose…. This is driving me insane. I can't go on like this much longer. Either I'm right….or it's my foolish mind playing tricks on me. I've made up my mind… here goes…_

With that, the hero of the Ishbal rebellion suddenly spun around out of mid step to face his 1st Lieutenant. His abrupt motion startled Hawkeye, but she had enough sense left in her not to draw her weapon on the Flame Colonel.

"Riza… I won't pretend that I haven't noticed that you've been acting…slightly out of character these past few days…"

Riza froze for a second and looked Roy straight in the eyes.

"Well Sir…. I will admit settling into Central hasn't been the easiest thing I've done in my life, but I assure you this is only temporary."

Roy smiled. _Now that's the kind of answer I'm accustomed to. _

"Are you sure that is all, 1st Lieutenant?"

Riza kept her gaze straight at Roy's face…_I can't go on like this much longer… please Roy…_

"Sir…I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but your behavior since the death of Brigadier General Hughes.."

Roy's eyebrow shot up at the mention of that name.

"…has been quite different from what I would perceive as normal. Furthermore, I have learned that you have been going into HQ much earlier than 0700 hours while trying to keep it a secret from the rest of your staff….."

"And I suppose you want an explanation?"

It was as Riza had feared it would be; Roy's tone was cold and harsh.

"This is something I need to do by myself 1st Lieutenant… this is a matter that goes beyond anything me or you ahs ever experienced, and I am looking out for the best interest of all my subordinates when I keep my investigation private and personal…"

"But you didn't hesitate when you shared Major Armstrong's coded message with me!" Riza objected, feeling less and less meek and more and more angry by the second; "You asked me that day whether I would help you go after Military Command or not, and now you're obstructing me from helping you?"

Roy then grabbed Riza by the shoulder; his grip was not hard, but his motion was swift enough that Riza dropped her bag of groceries. Despite being a hand-to-hand combat expert, she suddenly felt extremely helpless as the eyes of Roy Mustang, filled with a fire that seemed nothing short of supernatural, cut her off…

"THINGS WERE DIFFERENT FOR ME BACK THEN!"

Riza couldn't stop looking at those eyes…the street was mercifully deserted by now, and there was nothing to detract from the image of Roy Mustang. He was like a man possessed; for a moment, the glazed frantic look stayed on his face after he had given his reasons…then his whole face went slack...and he let go of her shoulder. His hair was now covering his eyes, and his hard breaths suddenly became apparent and noticeable as he stooped down to retrieve the contents of Riza's bag… and Riza stooped down to help him, desperate for him to continue speaking…

"The day of Hughes funeral…" Roy finally said after he had returned the bag to Riza; "…that day… I wasn't thinking clearly. All I was thinking about was how to avenge Hughes, and how to find out who did it, and so on. I wasn't thinking…I didn't realize… the severity of what I was asking of you…" His eyes met hers, and suddenly…it was there. It was not a feeling Roy could explain; but it was there. It was his justification for acting like a fool; it was his justification for all the thoughts he had spared for Riza Hawkeye; it was the proof he needed to convince himself that he did in fact feel something… he stared in those eyes, eyes of amber that hid a fire that could match his own…and he was sure…

Meanwhile, about 9 inches away from his head, the eyes of amber did something that did not happen often; they welled up. The water slowly formed on corner of her right eye, and glistened slightly as it became larger. However, no about of water or tears could put out the fire in her soul, the fire that the Flame Alchemist had unknowing built over the years but had just carelessly set ablaze.

"Colonel…I am flattered that you are concerned with my well-being…." Riza said; "But please…you are hurting me more than you could imagine by keeping secrets from me… I promised you that I would have your back for as long as you needed me, and now that Brigadier General Hughes is gone..." Roy tensed up, as though he had finally realized that his speech had blown his already porous cover. But there would be no arguing with Riza Hawkeye. This moment was hers, for her to say what she wanted to; and he wanted to hear what she had to say…

"You need me more than ever."

The moment lasted an eternity. The wind, the streetlights, the stray cats…all of it faded to black. For one moment, they stared at each others faces, both desperately looking for clues as to what the other was thinking without giving away their own intentions, but their words had given them both away. Riza, tears gone from her face, suddenly realized that she had just told a superior officer how to go about his business.

"Forgive me, Sir…I…"

'There is no need to say something like that. We best keep walking before the sun rises."

Riza looked up at Roy's face…_he's smiling, thank god…_

_

* * *

_

Roy had bid Riza goodbye once they had gotten to her house. He then proceeded to go home and go through the usual routine of stripping himself down and going straight to bed. But something was different.

_I know it…I felt it… I can hardly believe myself… if anyone finds out about this, I could lose everything that I've worked for…but I don't care._

'Riza Hawkeye…" he whispered to himself as his eyes slid shut with an ease that he had not felt in a long time… "I won't settle for anyone that's not you…"

* * *

Riza unlocked the door to her house, went in, and shut it. Hayate was curled up beside her bed, and cast her a wary glance. He tried to get up and greet her, but fell back down on wobbly, sleep-weakened legs. Riza smiled to herself and walked over to scratch her puppy behind his ears. Black Hayate gave a soft whimper as she stopped and went to shower and change. _Was anything settled tonight?... _she thought to herself…_he didn't give me an answer to my request…but he also didn't object to my assertion…O god, I went way out of line by talking to him in that way!_ Riza looked into her bedside mirror and was shocked to see that her face was flushed pink. She fell back onto her own bed, lost in the moment, a jagged cocktail of remorse mixed with unexplainable optimism. _Colonel Roy Mustang… where would I be without you….if your flames can't save me from the darkness… then nothing will… _

Riza slept very well that night


	4. Chapter 5

authors notes:

_Apr 6/12 45 am- _

_hola everyone. this is just a noter to assure anyone whos wondering: I have not forgotten about RE. However, the release of the next 3 chapters have been delayed becuase of a simple reason: the manga. For those who follow the manga, you'll know some interesting things about Roy and Riza have come about, and im trying to be sure that the story im making so far does not clash with any new information that is released (ill admit i didnt forsee this problem when i got the idea to base my story on an ongoing manga. im a frickin genius). So im gonna wait for issue 57 of the manga, see if anything needs to be rewritten, and rewrite it if something needs revision. thanks for your patience and dont forget about the existance of RE._

_cheers,_

_kaizen_

_-_

_-_

_(feb 10) - thank yew to everyone whos review chapter 5! i noticed that some people have been asking me to please update soon, so i thought id just tell you guys now that...probably not. college is eating up most of my time, so ill get to it once the first round of test for spring semester is over. in any case, keep RE fresh in your mind, and read FMA manga #56, which came out today!_

_cheers,_

_kaizen _

-

-

Chapter 5: Revelations

He stood. One hand pressed against the wall, he opened his eyes and let the water run over his head and sting his retina. He used his other hand to brush aside his hair, which could use a trimming in the near future. He let the water, the same water he would usually consider to be his mortal enemy, wash over his whole body and his whole being…and it relaxed him. However, the euphoria that had ran through his mind the night previous had mellowed somewhat since he woke up. _Why is it always like this for me… every time I think something wonderful has the potential to happen to me…reality has to rear its ugly head and remind me of the insanity of my own thoughts…goddamit...I just can't catch a break… _he looked down at his arms, which were emitting steam…_ this goes against every ounce of logic in my body… there has to be some way I can make this work…. _

He turned off the shower and dried himself with a towel. Walking out of the bathroom with towel wrapped around his lower torso, he edged toward the chair beside his bed, intent on recycling the same military uniform he had last worn. _It's not that badly crumpled…_ he thought to himself. He quickly put on his uniform, and soon he was all ready for business; he had been wearing military blue for so long it fit him like a second skin. He then looked at the last item left on the chair: his ignition gloves. He picked up his old friends, taking a moment to feel the rough surface of the palms and fingers that made him superior to ordinary men. Putting them in his front pocket, he suddenly felt a strange distaste in his system. _Maybe one day… I'll be able to put these hands of destruction away forever…and hold her with my real hands… _

Pushing the silly thoughts out of his mind, he assembled a pair of casual pants and trousers and put them into a bag. Today, some workers would be coming over to fix the roof of his house; He had found out that the corners tended to leak during rainy days, and so wasted no time in calling over people to patch it up. However, the work would leave an unpleasant smell in his house for a day, so it was decided that he would spend the night at the local barrack while waiting for his house to air out.

* * *

The day blew by, and Roy found himself…slightly disappointed. If he had been expecting Riza to make some mention of what happened last night, he was let down by the fact that the only response he got was the nods of agreement he got while debriefing the rest of his staff about the situation. Besides that, it had been business as usual. Reclining back into his chair, Roy looked like a child who didn't like what was for dinner that night. _Dammit Riza…stop teasing me…say something…_ but he received nothing. The only change he could observe was that her voice had lost its usual bite. Instead, her voice seemed softer on the ears…_as if she's suddenly afraid of saying something wrong…_ Welling up with frustration, Roy punched the wall of the washroom hard..._I can't even prove anything with her voice…for all I know its my own desperate imagination playing cruel tricks on me…wait….washroom?_ He had been so deep in thought that he had barely noticed his own body shuffle away from his desk and go toward the washroom. Usually, the 1st Lieutenant would have questioned where he was going; he was sure if she had said something this time around, he wouldn't have missed it. _According to alchemy, I am made of body, mind, and soul…now that my body and my mind seem disjointed…does that mean there's something wrong with my soul too?_ Disgusted with his own inability to find anything meaningful to say to Riza, Roy went back to his desk and slouched back into his chair, almost knocking his little black book off his desk. Looking up, he was shocked to see that Riza was gone. Sticking his head out of his office, he yelled out; 

"Has anyone seen the 1st Lieutenant?"

"Ooo, she left while you were out," answered Havoc, cigarette dangling out of his mouth as he put on his coat; "I don't get it. Usually she waits to tell you even when it's past 1700 hours, but…" – Roy quickly glanced at the clock…._damn! 1710! _- "Today she was like staring at the floor and just left…queer."

Completely deflated, Mustang leaned on the side of the door and sighed…_since when did I become such a weakling…_

"Sir, are you staying at the barrack today? I'm going back right now, so…should I wait for you?"

"……."

"Sir?"

"…oooo…. Ok! Sorry, I'll be right with you Fuery…"

* * *

A plain row of square blue buildings about 5 minutes north of Central HQ, Central Barracks were quieter than Roy had expected. The last time Roy had spent time there, the place was always loud and alive, filled with the chatter of men who Roy had hated while he was staying there. _These poor excuses for men…_ he had thought to himself at the time…_ these children of the rich and famous…they never saw the hell I went through in the East... they will be the first to feel my wrath once I come to power…_

"Fuery…why are the barracks so quiet today." Roy asked.

"Most of the men have taken their leave for the weekend Sir…" Fuery replied; "I suppose people are smart enough to take their leave while theres no huge war brewing… peace has been something of a rarity these days…"

Roy looked around at the place; even during the quiet days of peace, the barracks were very well organized…_as thought they are prepared for war at anyplace at anytime…_ Roy looked up again, and realized that he was now standing in the hallway of Block II-A…and Fuery was nowhere in sight. Cursing himself for letting his mind wander without his body properly in tow again, Roy decided that he was not hungry and wandered toward the warden who could assign him a spare room for the night.

* * *

The night had wore on and Roy Mustang soon found his way onto the roof of Block II-A. The night was cloudy but fair; the breeze ran through his hair, and he finally seemed to find some piece of mind. Back in the day, he and Maes had always gone up to the roof of Block I-C every night to escape the madness of below and to engage in mindless chit-chat. Even for a moment, it seemed to offer a reprieve from the world below them; a world that neither of them really wanted to take part of. Roy could still remember the sadness he felt when Maes told him that he was moving out of the barracks to go marry Gracia; although Roy didn't stay in Central long after that, he could still taste the uncertainty in the back of his mind…_the anger at reality for intruding into his world…_

"Sir!"

Roy spun around and saw Fuery standing by the door. Even though he had always considered the roofs of Central Barracks to be the domain of the Mustang/Hughes tandem, he wouldn't deny that he was not at all displease to see that the Sergeant had found his way up here.

"Why did you walk off? I told you that I was only going to my room to change out of my uniform…and when I came back out you were gone. I've been looking for you for about an hour…"

Roy chuckled at this…_ O Fuery you…such a good heart in that kid._

'I'm sorry that I worried you…I just suddenly felt the need to come up here and..."

"It's about 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye isn't it?"

Roy froze. Cold sweat magically appeared on his body. And while his mind raced for some witty comeback that could perhaps abruptly change the subject, the only words he could think of was…_shit…busted…._

Fuery decided to put the Colonel out of his misery.

"I'm sorry Sir…I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject…"

"No…it's ok. I'm sure I couldn't have kept it hidden forever anyway."

Upon hearing no malice in the Colonel' voice, Fuery relaxed a little and allowed himself to sit cross-legged next to Roy. Parts of the moon found their way through the clouds, and the lights of Central, dimmed by a small fog but unmistakable in shape, appeared slowly.

"Fuery…" The Sergeant looked up at his superior officer curiously; "… you seem to know lots about what goes on in the offices…do you think that there's any chance… that…well…you knowww….um…"

"Sir, do you remember last years Awakening Festival?"

Roy looked down at Fuery with a puzzled look; "Well…yeah."

The Awakening Festival was a holiday celebrated in the Eastern countryside of Amestris. Starting each year at the first day of May and lasting a week, it symbolized that all the crops and plants of the country were finally in bloom, and that the people would have a happy and fruitful summer to look forward to. _Such trivial holidays are not observed in the all-business atmosphere of Central…but it meant a lot to the people of the East…its something I grew up with…_

"Do you remember what specifically happened last year, Colonel?"

Once Fuery had put the emphasis on "specifically", Roy knew what he was talking about. Last year, the extremely buxom and beautiful daughter of the owner of the flower shop close to Eastern HQ had paid Roy a visit in his office. In front of his whole staff, Ms. Vivian had taken a surprised Colonel Mustang and had planted a long and passionate kiss onto his lips. Afterwards, she declared that she would love the Colonel forever, left fresh flowers on his desk, and waltzed off to do whatever incredibly sexy young women did after kissing good-looking strangers. Remembering the incident made Roy feel cocky for a few seconds…_I stillll got it…_

"Sir, if you're going to look smug like that each time someone brings that up, you'd be missing the point." Fuery said with a little smile. Roy, confidence now replaced with burning embarrassment, covered his burning cheeks with one hand and said;

"Um, sorry about that...please continue..."

"Well, I was doing the itinerary and budget documents for the 1st Lieutenant that day, since there was nothing electrical for me to fix. During the time that Ms. Vivian was wrestling with your tongue, she got a really scary look on her face…I had never seen the 1st Lieutenant like that before, because you know how she's always calm and collected…but at that moment she looked as though she could've gunned down both Ms. Vivian and you…"

Roy stared at the floor. _I… didn't notice that. Maybe it was because Havoc almost set himself on fire when his cigarette fell out of his mouth into his shirt pocket…but still… I should've noticed…_

"Once the florist had left and you and Breda were stomping on Havoc to put out his shirt, I noticed that she was gone from the office. She only came back later with her hand bandaged up. I asked her what had happened, but she was still in a bad mood…she just told me to add a replacement mirror to the itinerary list and that she was going out to inspect the city…and that was the last I saw of her that day."

Roy edged forward slightly, completely entranced by Fuerys story.

"… She had left without telling me what size mirror needed replacement, so I went over to the washrooms to get the measurements myself. The janitor told me that one of the mirrors above the sinks in the female washroom had been completely shattered…as though someone had punched it out…"

Fuery's point suddenly dawned on Roy. Taken aback, he leaned backward and fell onto his back. He was ashamed of himself now…

"I always knew that the 1st Lieutenant was more than she let us know about…" Fuery continued; "…ever since the time she took in Black Hayate when nobody else would, I had a feeling that her tough-lady act wasn't much more than an act…"

Roy nodded in subconscious agreement.

"…but I never thought she was the type of person to smash in mirrors at work. Maybe in the end…none of us actually know her at all."

Roy thought about this for a moment and closed his eyes. _I've been such a fool…_ Mustang needed time to digest all of this, so he decided to buy himself some time.

"Sergeant, I noticed on these days you've also looked very concerned about someone…that librarian girl that Hughes use to employ… I've seen you two on quite friendly terms these days."

_shit...busted_

"Sir!...uhhh, what me and Sheska have been discussing doesn't have much to do with this! We were strictly discussing details about our professions…."

Roy nodded and smiled to himself. Watching Fuery suddenly turn beet red was, for some odd reason, more satisfying that watching most other people embarrass themselves. _Such a good heart in that kid... _

"Anywayyyyy…" Fuery continued while trying to look composed; "… the problem with the 1st Lieutenant may be a blessing in disguise. We all know the 1st Lieutenant, at least the version we know, would never tolerate you letting your feelings for her be known. But…if you can get past the 1st Lieutenant that we know…what have you got to lose by asking whoever's behind that?"

_At that moment, Fuery suddenly disappeared from the scene. Everything disappeared, and Roy found himself standing outside of East HQ. And beside him was Riza, a sad look on her face, right hand swathed in bandages…walking away. He called out to her...but she did not acknowledge him. All she did was keep walking, using her good hand to wipe tears from her eyes… _

"But why…" Roy whispered to himself as he analyzed the still frames of his own imagination; "…why are you so hurt?"

Then it struck him like a thunderbolt. Roy shot up, almost knocking Fuery over, and grabbed his black book out of his pocket. Offering no explanation to a very confused Fuery, he flipped through the pages frantically until he found a date scrawled on a whole page…_May 3, 1889. _Roy finally understood… _of all the days that fate had to play a cruel joke on her…it was her birthday… no, it wasn't fate…I did it. I let her down… I hurt her. I don't deserve to be happy after doing something like this…o god…Riza… I'm sorry…and…I've wasted enough time here sitting around doing nothing!_

With that, Colonel Roy Mustang shoved the book back into his pocket and raced toward the door. Shooting up to meet his superior, Fuery yelled;

"Colonel! Where are you going?"

Roy stopped at the entrance to the roof and gave Fuery one last look;

'You're a smart kid. I'm sure you'll figure out in time."

And with that, he was gone… the footsteps charging down the stairs and outside the barrackscould be heard by anyone who was there. Fuery watched from the roof as the Colonel exited the barracks at full speed…and spared himself a smile before heading back to his room.

"_Good luck, Colonel…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Riza was sitting on the floor of her apartment, watching Black Hayate play with an assortment of objects. She had been slightly disappointed that she and the Colonel hadn't exchanged much words today, but she had not had time to sort her own feelings out yet…_I never have time for myself…this is my cruel fate…_

Suddenly, a knock came from the front door. Hayate forgot about his toys and ran straight to the door, yapping at the unexpected guest who had just arrived. Puzzled, Riza got up and walked toward the door. _A visitor at this time of night?_

"I wonder who that could be…_"_


	5. Chapter 6

_ finally, a new chapter of RE. sorry that its short, but as some of you may know iv been purposefully keeping finished chapters of RE on hold while i watch the new developments of the FMA as the new issues are devling into Roy/Riza history. Im trying to keep RE as accurate as possible, so thanks for waiting. About this new chapter, you might not get it if you: a. never read the previous installments of RE or b. dont really follow the FMA manga (where riza's father appeared). in any case, try to enjoy this as much as possible and dont forget to review ok? _

_kaizen - may25_

** Chapter 6: What the Heart Needs To Say**

Riza fought back the instinct to reach for her gun. Usually nobody of importance came around this later at night; _it must be some drunken bum who's come to the wrong door…_ Preparing herself for another unexpected annoyance, Riza slowly opened the door to her home. Peering out of the crack, she was somewhat shocked to see Roy Mustang, panting heavily, on the other side.

"Hey there Hawkeye…." Roy croaked; "Sorry to bother you so late at night."

Riza just stood at the doorway, slightly confused by the situation. She reviewed what had just happened in her mind; _at near midnight today…Colonel Roy Mustang just showed up at my door, breathing heavily but showing no sign of any physical damage. He also appears to be sober. _Snapping out of her mental monologue, Riza spoke up.

"Roy…I mean, Colonel! What are you doing here so late? Weren't you going to room at the Central Barracks?"

"Don't worry Riza…This'll probably only take a few seconds…." Roy answered, still rooted to the spot where he stood, right outside the doorway of Riza's house.

"Is there something wrong? Is there an emergency?" Riza asked. "If we need to go to the office now then say so, because my uniform…"

"Riza!" Roy said strongly, cutting her off in mid-sentence. At the sound of his tone, Riza quieted down and looked directly at him. The Roy Mustang that stood before her was almost foreign to her; instead of the usual suave and self-composed Roy, this version looked depressed and mournful. Riza waited for Roy to speak, still slightly confused by how this awkward situation came about. At their heels, Black Hayate peered up at them, as if also anticipating the next move.

"I…I just…I just want to say that I'm sorry."

Riza's heart jumped slightly, but she wanted to be sure they were thinking about the same thing.

"Sorry for what?" she said in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper.

Roy straightened himself up and looked in Riza's eyes. _It's now or never…no more hiding away… no more lies…_

"I'm sorry for what I did to you last year on May 3rd."

Riza eyebrows dipped slightly, as if she was recounting something that brought a bad taste to her mouth. Roy decided to continue.

"I'm sorry that I haven't taken the time to acknowledge how much you've helped me…sorry that I never acknowledged how much your presence means to me." At this, Roy's hands slowly stretched out and took Riza's hands into his. Riza's eyes were still fixed on Roy, and she did not resist his movements. Roy decided to continue on.

"I…I'm sorry that I never responded to your feelings for me. But I want that to change starting from now."

And then there was silence. As she heard the words come out of Roy's mouth, Riza Hawkeye was stunned speechless. What she had heard was too good to be true…yet… she could see in his eyes that he spoke no lies. As Roy waited for Riza to say something, a small tear came out of the corner of Riza's eye. _This is the first time…_Roy thought to himself, as he held on to Riza's warm and soft hands…_The first time I've seen her cry since that day he left us…_

Then Riza smiled… her lips trembled and her eyes suddenly dove toward the floor. Roy wanted to say her name…but when he caught sight of Riza's face again he was suddenly afraid; even though it was a smile in shape, it was the most wretched smile Roy Mustang had ever seen in his life.

"Roy…" Riza finally said…squeezing Mustang's hand slightly…"You haven't taken any time to think this through have you?"

Roy stood there in a cold sweat, trying to quickly make the connection to what Riza was implying. Before he could, however, Riza decided to explain herself.

"Ever since I was a young girl… you have been in my life…you would have to be the biggest fool in the world to not have noticed that I am in love with you. Yet you…"

At this, Riza removed her right hand from Roy's left and put it against Roy's cheek.

"…you have the same eyes as my father. Those eyes…so strong and so pure…but those eyes scare me. They're the kind of eyes that have left me out in the cold, left my mother in tears…left those around them behind to play with alchemy and fire."

Roy was stone cold by now. He could feel Riza's warmth through her hands, but every single one of her words, as true and heartfelt as the words he had spoken to her, were now piercing his thick skin and leaving him numb. Meanwhile, the tears flowed decisively out of Riza's eyes. However, her gaze didn't waver.

"Roy…sacrifices have to be made in order to get what we want…my father gave his life to alchemy for the people…he sacrificed his family and his health for that, and now you are the one who carries on the legacy of his work…both of us have sold ourselves to the military so that our dreams of changing this country could stay alive…"

Below them, Black Hayate whimpered as a cold breeze squeezed through the shutters.

"And now…you come to me and say you finally want to respond to my feelings…feelings that were misplaced and shouldn't have been revealed to begin with…did you think it would be all right for you to suddenly throw off your focus from being President to making a girl like me happy? I always prayed for the day my fathers research would finish, so he could both change Amestris in the way he wanted it and also be able to spend time with me…I prayed for the same things for you, I prayed that one day you could become President and then maybe…just maybe…my dream of you responding to my feelings would come true."

Roy finally sensed this was going too far south for him to salvage. He opened his mouth to speak, but Riza quickly moved her hand off his cheek and put a finger on his lips.

"Please…hear me out till the end, Colonel" Riza whispered while tasting her own bitter tears; "You and my father are the same. You speak from the heart, yet in the end there's always something that needs you more than I do. I'm sorry that I let my personal matters get in the way of your goal…I'm sorry I demanded information from you that I have no right to see. I'm sorry that I failed you as a subordinate."

For all the feelings of hope that Roy had held with him while sprinting toward Riza's house, he could now only find despair. It would have been easier to take if what Riza was saying wasn't making as much sense as it was.

"So please, Colonel…for now… forget about me. Forget that Riza Hawkeye is in love with you…I don't know what happened to you tonight, but please make things the way they were before tonight. Please…for the restoration of our dreams…"

And with that, Riza's hands left Roy; her finger came off of his lips and her other hand slipped out of his grasp and onto the door. As the door slowly started to close, all Riza could do was mutter "Good Night" and gently disappear from Roy's sight. Still in the same spot that he had been standing in when the door had opened. Roy was rooted to the position, so lost in the thoughts of what he had just heard that he couldn't hear the small sobs that were coming from the other side of the door in the spot where Riza had crouched down, her hands, still slightly warm from the touch of Roy Mustang, now cradling her own tear-soaked face.


	6. Chapter 6 point 25

_Finally... an update. Short update, about ¼ of chapter. I'm still very unsure of how to balance the manga events and my own fanfic ideas._

_For the purpose of not rewriting things that you all probably know about, there will be a timeskip in the middle of chapters where I don't feel like copying all the text from the manga onto this story. If you don't understand what's going on, please consult Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 9, 10 and 11. (the manga, of course)._

_When chapter 7 comes around, the setting will be in the hospital after Roy's fight with Lust. Just saying ahead of time. Unless nobody cares anymore, in which case I wont write a new chapter_

**Chapter 6.25: The Feelings of Uselessness.**

Her eyes opened…then shut themselves again.

* * *

Ten minutes later, her eyes opened again, and this time she forced them to stay open. Sitting up on her bed, Riza felt slightly unsatisfied with herself for a moment. A second later, she remembered why; Roy Mustang had come to her door in the middle of the night, but she had rejected him and spent the rest of the night quietly crying, incapable of even replaying the situation in her head. How she had even gotten herself to bed was a mystery in itself. Riza slid her feet toward the right side of her bed…and looked at the floor despondently. The severity of what she had done last night was starting to dawn on her…_I…I think my dreams died last night. _

…_No, _the voice of logic in Riza's head said; _even though it hurts, what you did yesterday was right. Colonel Mustang obviously took no time to think it through…there are too many 'ifs' and 'buts' involved. You kept a cool head did the right thing, good for you. _

Riza bit down on her lip; her tongue tasted the raw flesh of spots behind her lip that hadn't properly healed yet from the last few times she had bit her lip to suppress herself. Riza got up from her bed and walked toward the washroom, disappointed but not totally surprised that sleep had not been able to wash away the bitterness of her complicated lifestyle.

"Yes…good for me…" She muttered to herself, hoping that the shower water would soon wash away the teardrops that were starting to form in her eyes again.

* * *

His eyes opened…and stayed open at the first time of asking. 

Roy Mustang got up from the cold, hard floor of a military dorm room. _Fuck…I didn't even make it to the bed…_he observed. Unlike Riza, Roy didn't need to take a second to remember what happened last night; he had gone before Riza Hawkeye and had been turned away. _Dammit... I just wanted to make things right for her…_Roy thought to himself, rubbing his head with one had…_I was almost certain she would be happy…I was certain I would have been happy…why…what did I do wrong? Did she…give up on me already? _Bemused and almost broken, Roy dragged himself toward the door, fully intending to go back to his own house and collapse regardless of whether it was ready or not.

* * *

Colonel Roy Mustang stumbled into Central HQ twelve minutes late. Per usual, the rest of his staff directed their collective gaze onto First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, as she would surely chew out the Colonel for his tardiness. 

"Good Morning Colonel… you're quite late today." Riza said in a wooden tone as Mustang passed her desk.

"Sorry First Lieutenant…I was involved in an unfortunate altercation last night that I don't want to go into detail about." Roy answered without looking into Riza's eyes. Riza's face tightened up; _is his tone one of indifference…or one of hurt?_

"Well Colonel, I'm sorry to hear that," Riza answered stiffly as Roy sat down at his desk and the rest of the office struggled to listen in to their conversation without making it seem obvious; "...but you were suppose to go for an inspection of the Central Armory this morning. Your car is waiting outside for you."

Roy looked outside the window. True to her word, his government car was waiting outside, ready to go at a moments notice.

"Good." He said, and briskly walked out of the office. Riza followed behind him. As the office doors closed, Havoc leaned over to Fuery and whispered, "Why are they both staring at the floor? Did something happen?"

Fuery just shook his head.

"I honestly have no idea."

* * *

The inspection was uneventful; nothing was out of order, and Roy had no reason to expect anything else. Central was far and away the safest location in Amestris. _Not like in the east, where firearms always get stolen on a weekly basis..._ Roy thought to himself. He stole a glance at Riza, who was sittting beside him with her arms folded on her lap, looking as pensive as he was. Thinking about the events that transpired at Eastern HQ still left a bad taste in his mouth. Roy suddenly wished that she wasn't sitting right next to him. Before he had time to squirm around in his seat any longer, the cat had arrived back at headquarters. Riza quickly exited the vehicle and was greeted by officers with papers intended for the Colonel. Roy absent-mindedly lingered in the car for a little while, wishing that something would break the ackwardness that was suffocating the air around himself and Riza. A flash of sunlight reflecting off small metal plates then suddenly caught his eye. 

Riza hadn't had time to inspect the papers that had been thrusted into her arms. Before the words could reach her eyes, the voice of a young male and the subtle yet distinct clanking of metal caught her attention and held it firmly.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

She turned around and acknowledged that the Fullmetal Alchemist, his large brother, and a girl she didn't know reached her position.

"Oh! Edward and Alphonse, have you guys been doing well?"

* * *

The look in the Colonel's eyes scared her. She too had been shocked when she saw what had been written on the clipboard; however, for a split second, she had peered into Roy Mustangs eyes as he read the notes, and she swore she could see a glint of madness that was nothing short of horrifying. _It was ugly...there's no other word for it,_ she thought to herself. However, the look had melted away as soon and as sudden as it had appeared. After being ordered by Mustang to look up all documents and reports on or concerning Office Maria Ross, Riza was also convinced that the person who was being accused of the murder of Maes Hughes was innocent; both Riza and Roy had been in the military long enough to tell which arrests were genuine and which were motivated by other forces. Looking out the large window of the office, Riza shivered slightly; the wind that came along with night irritated her skin as she reflected on the events of the day. _He called Breda into his office...then made a phone call to the hospital...and then he spoke with Havoc about his plan and how to execute it perfectly... and now he's gone..._ Her mind travelled back even earlier in the day when Mustang had lied to Ed about the whereabouts of Hughes. _Those eyes of his... the pain was so evident in Roy's eyes... even though a child like Edward probably couldn't tell... it's not fair, how life has treated Roy Mustang..._ her hand clenched into a fist; _I don't understand this... I feel I can help him... fuck that! I know I can help him, but somehow, I can't let him, I can't... I don't...I don't know what to do..._

Her thoughts suddenly transformed themselves into spoken word.

"What the hell am I doing? What the hell is this?"

With that, Riza lost it; she swept her hand across her desk and sent all the objects crashing to the floor. With a small crash, papers, pens, an ink well and a clipboard fell to the floor and then slowly fused together in a puddle of black. The office was empty and silent. The only sound that could be heard was Riza's loud and stymied breathing as she fought back the tears that seemed to be coming way too often recently. This time, the strenght of her will won; the tears did not come down. Yet as she regained her composure and started to clean the mess that she had made, she was still in distress, distressed by unknown forces that she could not see but could definately feel. She looked down at the floor, which was still black despite her best efforts with a roll of tissue paper. Once again, her thoughts somehow slipped out into words ask she pleaded to a higher power for an explanation for her behavior.

"This isn't me...is it?"

As was the usual case when Riza Hawkeye directed questions toward the heavens, she recieved no immediate reply. After a moment, Riza silently put the wadded tissue paper on her desk and then walked toward the door. She had lingered in the office long enough; now she needed to find a certain someone and settle something.


	7. Chapter 7

_New, full chapter, on the one-year anniversary of this project. yippy yippy yay... I finally have time to complete a chapter of this after a 7 month break, and I'm guessing that itll be another 6 months before i have time to think about a chapter 8. unless i get like 3907598379 reviews. then ill start thinking about it in 5 months. So normally I would tell you to stay tuned, but that might be a waste of effort in this case. _

_For those wondering, chapter 7 takes place sometime during FMA chapter 44. Chapter 8 is where i will start to deviate from the manga plot, and this story starts becoming a real 'fanfic'. _

_Now have fun reading it. And review it, especially if you dont like it. Being put down will only make me stronger... and whinier. thank yew so much for reading RE, and see you all in may.  
_

_- kaizen  
__nov27 _

**Chapter 7.0 – Try Honesty**

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ,7. Done, take the backup...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, reload...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. She's still there... 21 shots... 21 hits... and she still stands there. Still breathing. Casually wiping away the blood as though someone had just accidentally spit on her. _

_What are these, tears? You're in the middle of a fight...why are you crying? Fight it, fight it... fuck it. I've done all I could. 21 shots and she's still there. That thing... that thing took Roy away from me... I had 21 clean shots, and she's still here... and Roy, where are you?... I failed you, Roy. I wish you were here, here so that you could here me say I'm sorry, sorry that you trusted me with your back, because I didn't get the job done. Get away from me, Alphonse. Let that thing do what it wants to. Nothing really matters anymore. Go away, Al, you're in the way... dammit, I said go away! GO AWAY! _

"GO AWAY!" Riza half-yelled out loud. Then she opened her eyes.

Down the hall, a few of the nurses and patients threw curious glances at Riza Hawkeye. As Riza straighted herself up, the stares of the people around her made her blush slightly. As the onlookers sensed that there would be no follow-up to the sudden outburst, they slowly turned their attention back to their own business. Feeling stiff, Riza massaged her left shoulder with her right hand. _I fell asleep... _she scolded herself mentally, as if she had done something shameful. _Those homonculi might come back any second, I can't sleep; _she got up and streached her legs a little. She looked down and saw a few drops of a watery substance on the front of her uniform. _Is... that better not be drool, _she thought to herself. She then looked at the clock in the middle of the hall..._ I must've slept for at least 3 hours... how come nobody woke me? _She strained her memory to try and recall whether she had dreamed of anything during her slumber; she could not remember anything in particular. As she stood there, the door directly in front of her opened, and out stepped Kain Fuery. Seeing Feury suddenly snapped Riza back to her senses and reminded her of the severity of the situation. The Fuhrer might be involved witht he homoculus. And Havoc was paralyzed from waist down.

"You can go in now if you want." Fuery said in a small voice.

"Have we had any new developments?" Riza enquired.

"Not much, really." Fuery said while scratching his head. "Havoc's in there," he gestured toward the room; "Falmans filing his report on how he was 'held hostage'. And the Colonel is having a checkup to see how his wounds are coming along. It may take awhile, he took the map that you guys were looking over earlier with him. Breda's with him."

Riza smiled and looked down toward the floor. She felt encouraged that this wasn't a dream; Colonel Roy Mustang had saved them all and defeated the homonculus. He was alive.

"I was going to wake you up when we saw you sleeping half an hour ago." Fuery continued; "But Colonel Mustang told us to leave you be. He said that if a woman doesn't get her beauty rest, they'll wake up cranky and intolerable, and that the first lieutenant was usually intolerable enough as is."

As Fuery chuckled while recollecting what Roy Mustang had said, Riza could only allow herself a bitter smile. If the Colonel had gone back to doling out dry humor again, he must be well... _I should be happy... but am I really intolerable?_

"Eh, he was joking." Fuery quickly added once he caught a glimpse of Riza's facial expression; "In any case, why don't you give Havoc a visit?"

With that, Fuery started walking down the hall toward the reception desk of the floor.

"Where are you going now?" Riza asked as he walked away.

Turning around for a seconds, Fuery scratched his head and half-bowed apologetically. "I'm going to get the Colonel a clean uniform, like he requested... then I'm going to check up on Black Hayate." He was out of sight after a few more steps.

Satisfied with his answer, Riza refocused toward the door in front of her, which was slightly open. She already knew what she was going to see inside, and it pained her to think about the state that Jean Havoc was in right now. However, she was not cruel enough to ignore him just to keep herself comfy. With a deep breathe, she siezed the knob with her right hand while knocking on the door twice with her left. Then she entered the room.

* * *

There were two beds, one which was currently unoccupied. On the bed closest to the window, Jean Havoc sit on his bed with his back propped up against a pillow. Light streamed in from the window and illuminated his bed as though a spotlight had been cast on his position. Small particles of dust could be seen wafting in the air around him; the sunlight bounced off the metallic rails of the bed and almost blinded Riza, who switched her gaze momentarily from the glare of the light to the world on the outside. It was a beautiful day. 

"Hey there, lieutenant." Havoc said, acknowledging Riza's presence for the first time.

"Hi." Riza answered with a smile. She sat down on the chair next to his bed; she was glad that Havoc seemed to be in high spirits. "Did you make a decision yet?"

"Not really, but I guess everyone knows the answer already." Havoc answered. "Did you get his uniform yet?"

"It's been sent for, yes. Fuery has it covered."

"So he's really going ahead."

Sensing that the conversation was heading toward a negative direction, Riza tried to be supportive. She could not imagine working without Havoc also being around, but at the same time she also felt the need not to pressure him toward any particular direction. Riza had known Havoc for many years now, and occasionally in the past they would strike up a short conversation, which was more than she could say for the rest of the staff at HQ, except maybe Fuery. She knew that beneth the womanizing, smoke-drenched exterior was a highly intelligent and mentally sharp man; that was the man who was lying before her now. Before she could say anything furthur, Havoc seemed to read her mind and spoke first.

"You told me the last time you saw me that he isn't going to throw me away. Well, quitting would be a horrible way to repay the Colonel after he puts faith in me."

Riza smiled; that was exactly the answer she was hoping to hear.

"I'm glad the Colonel convinced you to try and rehab."

"There's something about Mustang, you know," Havoc said while shifting his eyes from Riza to the empty bed; "when I... when I told him to leave me be, I really meant it. I really thought it would be best that I get out of the way of you guys and just retire."

Havoc's eyes then met Riza's; he pained smile was one that did not look familiar on Havoc's face, but it was one that Riza could empathize with, as she had grown accustomed to wearing the same sort of look on her face lately. A small breeze moved the curtain by the window, and more light came into the room, temporarily blinding Riza again. Havoc continued to speak in a soft voice.

"But there's just something about Colonel Mustang... when he said that he would leave me I thought it was over. But when he said he would wait for me at the top... I might have still whined about what a stubborn person he is, but I knew right there an then that either by crawling or walking or whatnot, I would have to catch up to him eventually."

This time it was Riza's turn to stare toward the empty bed.

"The Colonel really has a way with people, you know."

Havoc gave Riza a puzzled look; "Are you okay, lieutenant?"

Riza turned her body back toward Havoc, suprised by the sudden personal question.; "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Havoc chuckled a little but maintained eye contact with Riza; "Like shit you're fine. I've known you long enough to know that your game face has somehow been disrupted. What's with it?"

Riza squirmed in her seat, trying to think of an answer to give Havoc. _It would be easier to give him an answer if he hadn't just read me like a storybook... _

"You're worried about Mustang, right?"

All the voices in Riza's head spoke at once. _Deny it!... but he's right...Well that's no reason to show weakness, deny it with a witty comeback, just like we've done a thousand times before...but he's right, and he knows it... Well, smother him with his pillow!...shut up, I can't think straight... _

"Yes."

Havoc looked pleased with himself; "And you have feelings for him, right?"

"Yes."

Havoc was now stuck in a corner; he had not expected Riza to admit to this so easily. Before he could think of a suitable follow-up question, Riza spoke.

"You probably knew for awhile, didn't you?"

Havoc sighed, as Riza was now wearing a look of resigned defeat. All cheekiness and any attempts at jokes would be useless now; honesty would dictate the conversation from now on.

"Well, I figured out as much. Me and Breda use to joke about it alot, but these few weeks have really opened my eyes. What happened to you?"

Riza did not feel like telling Havoc that Roy had shown up to her door not too many nights ago, but even though she was able to keep that certain piece of information to herself, a wave of mized emotions was loosening her tounge and the secrets her mind had so fiercly guarded for a long time.

"Nothing much... just a few insignificant things..." She whispered. Her hands clutched the bottom of her uniform.

"That almost exactly what Mustang said when I asked him the same question." Havoc said with a smile. "A few days ago I was bored and I asked him whether he had feelings for you at all, since you and him have known each other for so long. He gave me the the same kind of non-commiting answer, mimbling 'It's complicated' and shit like that." Havoc then used his arms to prop himself up a little higher; "It's almost as though he couldn't outright deny it because he was afraid of the consequences."

Riza gave Havoc an uneasy look; she did not feel comfortable with the direction this conversation was going, but at the same time a part of her longed to hear what Jean Havoc had to say about all this.

"It's funny how one needs to be so close to losing it all to fully realize that there are things worth risking everything for."

"Enough!" Riza stopped Havoc with a sharp outburst. Havoc stopped speaking, but refused to look away from her as she continued.

"You saw for yourself, the things we're up against! Anything that I unnessesarily do or say will only complicate things, the Colonel is exactly right! You should know as well as anyone that as army officers we set our priorities straight..."

"Well," Havoc answered; "it seems that the lack of communication between you and the Colonel might be hampering your preformance."

Riza was close to tears again; she wished Havoc would look away from her, but his gaze did not waver. The man was watching the pieces of her mask disintegrate with no emotion. The light from the outside covered half of his face from view, lending him a mask of his own.

"Then what should I do?" Riza asked with a hint of genuine helplessness. She normally didn't ask anyone for advice, but this situation could hardly be called normal; "Do you have any answers for me?"

"I actually don't know. I can't answer anything because I don't know the question." Havoc said, finally looking away from Riza. He turned his head toward the window and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the sunlight across his face. "Have you ever considered just being honest and just saying whatever comes to mind first?"

Riza didn't answer immediately. She had fantasized about doing that with Roy many times, but now the thought of actually doing it to Roy's face terrified her to no end. The last time Roy had shown up in front of her in private, she had spoken with purpose and preparedness; she could not predict what would happen if she didn't prepare what she was going to say.

"That's just a crazy suggestion. You don't have to if you don't want to." Havoc said without looking back at Riza. "All I'm saying is that I'm tired of seeing all your sad and confused faces. No more lies... no more witty comments... just speak to each other as human beings instead of barking at each other like army dogs. What you feel for each other is there and isn't going to go away on it's own, so deal with it instead of pretending it doesn't exist. Then, you'll probably have a good chance of getting answers. Asking me anything is useless, only one person can answer all those questions in your head."

_I don't have to if I don't want to, huh..._ Riza suddenly got up from her seat.

"Get some rest, Havoc. Rehabbing injuries is never easy." Riza briskly stepped toward to the door and opened it. "I'll check up on you later."

"Wait, I don't even get a thank you? No 'thanks for giving me advice, Jean'. None of that?" Havoc whined and raised his arms.

"I'll thank you once I'm done." Riza then exited the room and closed the door gently.

A small breeze blew through the room after Riza left. It was a warm day, and the breeze was a welcome guest in the stuffy room. Havoc allowed himself to slump a little bit downward; the light continued to pour through the window, now illuminating all the objects in the room and giving Havoc an unexplained positive feeling. He had come to terms that he couldn't move his legs by now, but he was also tired of thinking about himself and pitying himself all the time. There wasn't that much to be down about, in any case; the sky was bright and almost cloudless; in the yard outside, children, accompanied by a few nurses, played and ran around in the sunlight. It was a beautiful day. As he looked out the window at the blue sky, Havoc spoke out loud to himself.

"Roy, Roy, Roy, Roy...you son of a bitch...I wish I had a smoke right now..."

* * *

Two floors down, Roy Mustang sneezed. 

"Are you okay?" A nurse asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Roy said while rubbing his nose.

* * *


	8. Teaser

Its Febuary, so im ahead of schedule in terms of RE! This is a very short teaser/preview story which hopefully will get you interested in the new RE story arc. From now on its all Kaizens story, set in Arakawas manga universe. Have fun reading it, and Ill be back in May.

cheers,

kaizen-feb23

**Teaser (7.25) - The Priest And The Promise**

Southern HQ

None of the documents made sense to her. She had gone over them a million times, but as long as she had time she was going to keep looking for mistakes. It all just seemed too convenient that neither she nor Priest had been recalled for the raid on Devils Nest, even though they were technically on leave. _And for Fuhrer Bradley to be present in the flesh... none of this adds up to a logical answer. _The candle flickered for a moment; Promise stopped for a moment to gaze at the flame. _Roy Mustang... are you going to remember me? Or did the short time we shared together already fade into your memory? _Stopping herself from daydreaming any furthur, Promise quickly started gathering the documents that she wanted in a manila envelope.

* * *

Outside the office, Priest was suddenly confronted by an officer.

"Major Priest! What are you doing in HQ at such an hour?"

"Me?" Priest answered gruffy, making a small move toward his left to make sure his large body was properly covering the door. "Oh, hello Officer Szabics. Brigadier General Issanti is conducting research inside. I am just here with her."

Szabics looked at a clipboard and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well, pardon me, Major. I was just wondering why your office door was open, and..."

While Szabics rambled on, Priest took his left hand and slipped it into the steel device he wore on his right arm. A very faint blue light emitted from the inside of the device, and then it was gone. Removing his left hand, Priest raised his right arm and stuck out his index finger. He then flicked his finger upward, as if challenging someone to a fight.

* * *

Promise exited the archive office about 5 minutes later. As she opened the door, a few small pieces of the ceiling fell into her black hair. She stopped, shook the dirt out of her hair, and glared at Priest.

"Did you really have to kill him? He's just the goddamn night guard."

"Better safe than sorry." Priest replied while leaning back against the wall. "Did you find anything useful."

"All I found out was that both of us were deliberately left out of the Devils Nest raid." Promise responded, making an effort to keep her boots away from Szabics' blood. "Nothing new about Basque Gran or the River's End."

"See?" Priest said, gesturing toward Szabics' body; "If he had heard you say 'Rivers End', then we would both have been arrested by tomorrow morning. You're too damn careless for me to go around being merciful and shit."

"Ok, point made." Issanti said curtly. She brushed her hair out of her eyes; she had been planning to get it cut, or at least trimmed a little before their trip. However, she had not had the time to visit a barber, as the documents in the archive had been more fruitful than she had expected. Still, she wanted to look her best when they arrived. As images of Roy Mustang once again found their way into her head, she suddenly slipped and almost lost her balance.

"Shit!"

Concentrating her hardest on not dropping the documents she was holding, Promise managed to squat down and stay up. Priest watched her with one eye closed and yawned.

"You stepped into some of his blood." Priest said matter-of-factly.

"I know! Goddamn it... are his boots clean? Get me one of this guys and swap them. Not the left one, the right one! Are you blind?"

After switching footgear, Promise and Priest walked down the hall about toward the exit. The body of Szabics, lifeless and streaming crimson liquid into the cracks of the hall, lay there with a right boot that, if someone were to take a close look, was slightly too small for him. Unfortunately, as a lowly officer, nobody would cry for him or mourn for him. And because of the nature of his murder, even if someone had suspected Aaron Priest of killing him, there would be no consequences or investigation.

* * *

Two days later, a pair of military officers stepped onto the platform in Central Station. They were greeted by a group of military personnel almost immediately; however, they themselves had no officers accompany them during their trip.

"I'm Officer Vato Falman from Central HQ." A soldier said, snapping a quick salute to go along with it. The two guests from Southern HQ saluted back. The male, a tall, muscular man with short brown hair and brown eyes, spoke first.

"I'm Major Aaron Priest, the Pulse Alchemist." Priest said without emotion.

The woman beside him was at least a full head shorter than the man. She was quite petite and had long black hair tied back in a bun. In modest terms, she could be described as very attractive. Even in her dour blue military uniform, her face had turned many heads during the train ride and in the station.

"And I'm Brigadier General Promise Issanti, the Prism Alchemist." Promise said with a smile. "Pleased to meet you."


End file.
